Republic Saga - Alliances, Chapter Two
by Noggins
Summary: The Republic strike team reach Coruscant while Darth Maul and Mara Jade go head-to-head for the first time...


Title: Republic Saga - Alliances, Chapter Two  
  
Author: Jonathan Evans  
  
Author email: noggins@ic24.net  
  
Summary: The Republic strike team reach Coruscant while Darth Maul and Mara Jade go head-to-head for the first time...  
  
AUTHOR'S NOTE: When I was proof reading this I was listening to Meatloaf's Bat Out Of Hell and Metallica and man, It suits the feel at times. I'm not boasting but I think I've just found the music for the Republic Saga!!!!!!  
  
REPUBLIC SAGA  
ALLIANCES  
CHAPTER TWO  
  
The probes moved closer towards the stolen shuttle. Narril clenched  
his fists, worrying that they would be captured only minutes into  
their mission. He noticed Leia and Anakin speaking at the front and  
turned to his brother. "What are they doing?" he asked.  
"I'm not all that sure," Lando replied. "But I know it'll get us out  
of this. I trust them."  
  
Anakin and Leia closed their eyes as Keylar brought the shuttle down  
towards a landing bay. The probes seemed to follow but at a distance  
that if the group weren't looking for them they would have been missed.  
"Concentrate, my daughter," Anakin said calmly.  
"Of course," Leia responded.  
"Just imagine them going in another direction. Push them with the  
Force..."  
  
Suddenly, the probes shot off away from the shuttle. Everyone sighed.  
"We could have just blown them away," Keylar informed them.  
"But that would have alerted the Empire to our presence and that is  
not something we want." He turned to his daughter. "Our contacts will  
be meeting us on docking platform twenty one in sector 327. It shouldn't  
be too difficult for now."  
"Yes, father."  
  
The Jedi princess controlled the shuttle around several massive buildings  
until she finally reached their destination. Just below were a group  
of people in dark coloured cloaks. She brought their vehicle down near  
them and opened the side doors. Anakin and Keylar left followed by Lando  
and Narril as Leia activated docking clamps and followed the rest of  
the team.  
  
"Welcome friends," the leader, a white haired Thispian who's flowing  
locks covered his entire body. Anakin recognised him as the same  
race as that of former Jedi Council member Oppo Rancisis. "Come inside  
before we are seen and we can discuss our plans further. I'm sure  
Chancellor Mothma gave you the basics of what we are going to do."  
"The basics?" Lando asked. "You mean it gets more complicated?"  
  
*********  
  
A sweet aroma wafted into Mara Jade's nostrils and she began to come  
to. She opened her eyes to see a kindly alien female looking down on  
her with a smoking frish stick letting off the smell that brought  
her to her senses.  
  
"Hello little one," she smiled at the confused human. "You have been  
asleep for a long time."  
"How long?" Mara asked quickly, sitting upright and checking out her  
surroundings. A tiny hovel, grime on the floor, a cooking stove in  
one corner and only one bed - the one she was taking up right now.  
"You're in my little house. Not much, I think but it's adequete.  
It's been a nearly a day since I found you."  
"You-you found me?"  
"Collapsed outside. I decide to help you. Many people looking. Think  
I not help. That I witch."  
  
The woman shuffled over to her stove and brought back a bowl of steaming  
stew. Mara ate it readily, realising how tasty it was. Being on the run  
from the Empire meant she didn't get these kind of luxuries most of  
the time. "I can't thank you enough," the Imperial assassin said with  
a smile. "I doubt I'd have survived if I'd been left out there."  
"I agree muchly. People come here and die. Only thing others care  
about is if they're property worth much when sold."  
  
Mara checked her belt. It was missing. "My... things have been taken!  
I guess you didn't find me in time."  
The alien shook her head. Her wrinkled features reminded Mara of...  
someone. She just couldn't think clearly. The woman took the belt from  
a cupboard. "I took it off. You'd be uncomfortable sleeping with it  
on." She handed it over and Mara quickly re-attached it. There was  
a silence that was only broken when the ancient creature spoke again.  
"You're a Jedi?"  
Jade was taken by surprise. "What?"  
"I heard they were back but I feared that I would never see another  
Jedi knight in my life."  
"How did you...?"  
"You're lightsaber gave you away. I apologise. But... you are a Jedi,  
are you not?"  
  
The former killer had been trained in the Sith arts, not the Jedi but  
she felt she didn't want to hurt the feelings of the person who  
helped her when she was down. "Yes. I am a Jedi. I'm on a mission  
to destroy the Emperor."  
"The Force should never be used for attack. That I know."  
"How?"  
  
The woman ruffled the many layers of robes and revealed her own  
lasor-sword at her side. "I Jedi too. Hiding in darkness made me  
difficult to find. I lose my Force powers quickly. It happens  
when you block them not to be found."  
This hit Mara hard. She was trained by Palpatine. She must continue  
his work of destroying the Jedi. She unhooked her lightsaber and  
her finger hovered above the activator switch. "You hid from Palpatine  
all these years?"  
  
"Yes, yes. He not know of Zsan Treil. I hid well, don't you think?"  
"I have to agree," Mara said with a smile. "But isn't it possible  
that a Sith could break in here and destroy you?"  
"I would welcome death in battle. Sith are evil. I sense the good  
in you, you will be one of those who will bring that evil  
dynasty to its knees. I knew as soon as I saw you."  
  
Mara re-hooked her saber. "Really?"  
"The light fills you. You have done things in your time that you  
regret but there is hope for all who do not fully embrace the Dark  
as Vader did."  
  
There was a crashing sound and the door. The two Force users turned  
around to see the partly cybernetic and fully evil form of Darth  
Maul standing before them. A twisted smile covered his face.  
"Hello Mara Jade. Our master has need of you. You do not need this  
feeble Jedi anymore." He ignited one side of his lightsaber and  
charged forward.  
  
*********  
  
The Republic team sat around the table with the Coruscant rebels.  
Their leader Droll Friniss stood up to address them all. "The two  
Skywalkers, along with Ambassador Keylar will infiltrate Thrawn's  
temple to assassinate the Emperor himself..."  
"Wait!" Keylar interrupted. "I thought I wasn't to be part of that  
team. Mon Mothma gave the orders stating..."  
"The plan has changed," Friniss continued. "Mothma seems to doubt  
you abilities while I do not. Now, while you are doing this I and  
my team, along with General and Ensign Calrissian will locate the  
nearest shield generator to take it down before the attack begins."  
  
The rebels all seemed to agree. Leia looked at her father with  
a worried expression beginning to cover her face. Facing Thrawn  
was now inevitable but Luke's warning was foremost on her mind.  
She couldn't fight him and she knew it. He was too powerful  
even for a Jedi yet now this was what she had to do.  
"What's wrong, Leia?" Anakin asked.  
She shook her head quickly. "Nothing. Everything's fine."  
"Are you sure? You don't seem..."  
"I'm fine."  
  
*********  
  
Mara ignited her saber and dived at Maul. He pushed her away with  
the Force and she crashed into a wall. The Sth Lord turned his attention  
to the old Jedi. "This is a surprise. I haven't killed a Jedi in  
over thirty years. It's time to change that."  
"Over my dead body!" Mara got to her feet and projected Maul into  
the opposite wall to the one she had impacted on. He somersaulted  
back up and ignited the other side of his saber. With expert skills  
Mara blocked attacks from both sides and kicked Maul away. He  
was back on her again though, grabbing her by the throat and  
holding her up high. "I would kill you now if the Emperor didn't  
need you."  
"You know as well as I do that that stunted slime isn't the true  
Emperor! Palpatine was the only..."  
  
Mara fell to the floor with a bump as Maul noticed Zsan making a  
run at him. Her lightsaber hit his but the blade deactivated on  
touch because of age and the amount of grime that had found its  
way into the focusing chamber. Maul laughed as he ran his blood  
red lightsaber into her and pulling it up through her head, splitting  
it in two. He looked around at the Emperor's Hand who watched in  
fear as the woman who had given her sactuary was now lying dead  
on the floor. She deactivated her lightsaber and ran for the door.  
  
The young woman jumped up onto the roofs and ran across them  
with the red and black skinned Sith in close pursuit. She turned  
around and with a flick of the wrist sent him off the top of the  
hovels. Within a second he had leapt up again in front of her.  
"You just don't give up do you?" Mara quipped.  
"Neither do you. I admire you for that."  
"Well admire THIS!" Mara swung her lightsaber and cut through one  
of the wires that attached Maul's leg to his torso. He collapsed  
under his own weight as Mara jumped back down to the ground and  
continued to move and and out of various alleyways until something  
hit her. A feeling. Leia Skywalker was here, on Coruscant. Her  
assassin training came into action as she jumped up to an air  
taxi hovering ten metres above her. She pulled the pilot out  
and threw him down to the ground.  
  
She took over the controls and began the long journey upwards  
to Imperial Center itself. As she moved up she felt a weight  
pulling at the back of the vehicle. She turned around to see  
Maul pulling himself up with a frown on his face. She pushed  
the taxi to its full speed, knocking it into the skyscrapers  
as climbed upwards. She glanced over her shoulder and saw that  
Maul was gone. She sat back with a sigh until a hand grabbed  
at her from the side. She looked down to see the Sith with a  
deranged look on his face.  
  
"When Thrawn wants to see you he doesn't send someone who's  
easy to kill, does he?"  
"Nope!" Maul jumped up next to Mara with a smile. "You know  
where to take us. And don't think of doing anything like that  
again or someone else close to you dies."  
"I wasn't close to that woman. She just helped me out."  
"You felt something for her. You saw your grandmother in her."  
"My WHAT?"  
"You may not realise it, Emperor's Hand, but deep in your  
subconscious there are memories you never knew you had. They  
can be used against you if you do not do as commanded."  
  
Mara switched the thrusters on and the taxi moved further  
upwards. Maul reclined as his companion remained uneasy.  
  
*********  
  
Leia walked through the corridor of the Rebel base on Coruscant,  
her mind not on the plan that was about to go ahead. She heard  
something behind her. A faint voice. She turned around but  
say nothing. She sook her head and continued.  
"Leia...." A voice! "Leia." Luke's voice!  
"Luke?" Leia asked quietly in case she drew attention to herself.  
She moved into a corner where no one was. "Is it you Luke?  
  
"It is," was the reply. "The Dark Side is strong here, my ability  
to focus is weak. I cannot project myself clearly. It won't  
be long until I can no longer appear to you on this planet."  
"Why? How?"  
"The ultimate Dark has returned. Palpatine is back."  
"He can't be," Leia said. "I saw Master Gallia kill him with  
my own eyes!"  
"He is back, my sister. And he wants you. Be wary, Leia. I can  
no longer protect you..."  
  
Luke's voice faded slowly away until Leia could no longer sense  
his presence. She quickly made her way towards the meeting place  
where Anakin would be waiting.  
  
*********  
  
Mara fell to the floor at Thrawn's feet. She looked up at the  
smile on his face. "I knew you would be unable to leave me  
for long, my dear."  
"Oh, I was making a darn good job of it until your you're pal  
here came along."  
"And I thought it was because you couldn't resist me."  
"You can keep your delusions to yourself, Thrawn!"  
  
The Emperor moved forward and pulled Mara forcibly closer to  
him until their noses almost touched. "You betrayed me, Mara  
Jade. You are supposed to be the Emperor's Hand! You are supposed  
to obey me!"  
"You are not Palpatine!"  
"I am the Emperor!"  
  
Mara looked into his blood-red eyes and saw something she recognised  
but hoped she would never have to see again. Fear filled her body  
and she fell to her knees. "What is thy bidding, my master?" she  
asked solemnly.  
  
Thrawn smiled. "The Jedi are on Coruscant. You know that already.  
You were the first to find out."  
"I probed her mind, master," Maul informed Thrawn.  
"I know, I know." Maul seemed hit back by Thrawn's dismissal of  
his actions but said nothing. The emperor continued. "You will  
find and destroy Anakin Skywalker. His powers have not fully  
returned from the years of blocking them to the Empire. He must  
be killed before they do. He is the Chosen One and could doom us  
all when he regains his connection to the Force."  
"What of his daughter?" Mara asked. "I must kill her. It is  
my sworn duty to..."  
"Her father is Leia Skywalker's weak point. With his death she  
will be brought closer to the Dark Side of the Force."  
  
Mara stood up. "But I must kill her. If the elder Skywalker is  
the Chosen One surely he would be of more use to the Dark Side."  
"No! Leia Skywalker will be one of us. She will pay for what  
she did to me!"  
  
Maul looked at his master. To him? He'd never met her before  
but Jade seemed to understand. Was there something he couldn't  
see? That he wasn't meant to see. The Sith Lord continued to  
observe the exchange of words.  
  
"I will die if I don't destroy her!" Mara complained.  
"Do you not think turning her would be a death? The death of her  
Jedi heritage?"  
"I suppose..."  
"You must obey."  
  
Mara Jade bowed and walked out of the room. Maul stepped up to  
Thrawn. "Do you trust her?"  
"She knows who I am. With that knowledge I can trust her more  
than I could ever trust you. Leave me, now!"  
  
Maul growled under his breath and walked of the throneroom.  
Thrawn rested his arms on his lap. "The time is coming.  
The battle will begin..."  
  
TO BE CONTINUED....... 


End file.
